Kobe Bryant has been cleared to resume running and shooting and will begin an intense, six-month training program next week upon his return from a short family trip to Europe, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN…

While he is in Europe, Bryant will visit the clinic in Germany where he had the platelet-rich plasma treatment known as Orthokineon on his knee, according to a source. The visit to the clinic is a check-up to ensure all is structurally sound with his knee before he resumes intense training.

I have no doubt Kobe will be ready for next season. At what level he will be able to play at remains to be seen, but even a somewhat diminished Kobe will be someone opposing defenses need to account for. The Lakers are much better with him.

What the team around him will look like remains to be seen. There very well may be a coaching change with Mike D’Antoni let go (sacrificed in part to appease angry Lakers fans). The roster will look different. Kobe wants a Lakers team that can contend next season, but I want to be flying around in zero gravity with Kate Upton. We don’t always get what we want. It will be very difficult for the Lakers, with the assets they lack and the current free agent crop (or even trade market) to rebuild quickly.

However, with Kobe playing a full season next year is likely not one the Lakers will want to flush when it’s over.

The Lakers as a top 5 worst team in the league getting a top draft pick is “rigged” but the Chicago Bulls magically jumping to the #1 pick with the 9th worst record when there just happens to be a hometown star available in Derrick Rose was puppies and ice cream.

I think Lebron needs the ball in his hands to be successful, and he should get the ball and have the offense revolve around him. Wade worked well because he’s such a great player off the ball, and kobe is as well. Kobe would work even better because Lebron needs spacing, and Kobe’s shooting skill would allow him to space the floor better than Wade does.

I don’t think it will happen, but it might be interesting due to Kobe’s shooting ability. I also think that Kobe respects LeBron, probably more than any other teammate he’s had (since he beefed with Shaq), which could also help if they did team up.

jimeejohnson - Apr 17, 2014 at 3:01 PM

This conversation has resulted in CantonLoser’s pea sized brain bursting. It only took a mini-Kleenex to clean it up.

beavertonsteve - Apr 17, 2014 at 6:39 PM

I think Kobe would willingly reinvent his game if it meant playing next to someone like LeBron. I think he would have done the same with Chris Paul as well.

Whoa, not everyone has been amazed by Kobe so you can say “amaze us all”. He’s a really good player (maybe even great) but he was also a volume scorer and had some chemistry issues with teams that cost them wins. I will say that he had amazing highlights (like his 81-point game). To me, the only difference between him and Iverson were the teams they were on.

he’s a volume scorer that led his team in assist in every year he’s played under phil. And i believe he led the team the last two years. His ball hoggedness is overblown to some extend. But dont get me wrong. There are times where he says eff and its him against the world.

Once he is fired I will post a column defending him, to a degree. You are right, he should never have been hired for the roster the Lakers had. D’Antoni is a system coach — and that system can win with the right players. Miami runs a whole lot of D’Antoni. Gregg Popovich admits he borrowed from D’Antoni’s offense as the Spurs evolved. It can work but he is very rigid with the system and needs his players, the Lakers never gave him that roster (neither did the Knicks, really).

Most great athletes do not want to dwell on a mistake and keep focused on the next play or in this case….what is ahead for the franchise. Kobe has basically said to all Laker Fans is to forget that season and let’s focus on the future.

chargerdillon really hit it on the head. Kobe is really saying “i wasnt playing this year so it didn’t matter anyway, btw I’m already on vacation so why are you guys even going to watch the last game? dont waste your time or money on these clowns – i’m not and I’m on the team! but i guess I should say thanks for buying all those tickets and tuning in and paying our salaries? nah.”

Lakers fans still want to know why Dwight Howard left town for the Rockets. Its all about Kobe and what he wants. Does he really think the Lakers would have made the playoffs if he played all 82 games. Please . Lakers have a old broken down Steve Nash and a Old broken down super star who wants to be the man no matter if LeBron or Mello would come to the Lakers. Kobe would not take a back seat like D.Wade did , so forget about any superstar coming to play with Kobe. Lakers fans get use to watching the Clippers run LA. Lakers will be fighting to get the 8th seed for years to come.

Oh did I forget to mention , what kind of teammate starts a vacation before the season is over? What teammate would tell all the fans to forget this season like it never happened? How about your teammates who were busting their butts at practice all season and going out there getting their butts kicked this season. Where was Kobe ? Well we know he wasn’t sitting on the bench supporting his teammates. Thanks for the 24 million over 2 years Lakers. I just made it impossible for you to get better. LOL.

He’s DONE. Gimmee a break with this 6-month action fitness plan thingie he’s starting when he gets back. He’s done. He’ll be an inefficient 14/3/3 guy WHEN HEALTHY from here on out.

Then there’s this:

“That’s a great picture of her – I’d fly around zero gravity with Kate Hudson, too. But I did hear that “things” feel different in space due to the lack of gravity and the loss of friction.”

Loss of friction? FRICTION?

I’d make sweet hot friction with Ms. Hudson in zero G, and the resulting plasma ejection would send us in opposite directions, floating across the room. But we’d be smiling, up there. And swatting at gobs of…. plasma.

Yes sir, loss of friction. It was a study of how copulation could happen in space and if we could reproduce. It was interesting….cuz who hasn’t thought about getting busy in space?? If you can’t feel it, there might not be gobs of anything. Maybe for you but not for her.